Weekly Parsha
Pressure makes diamonds
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Mazal Tov to Bianca Welikson for her birthday. May Hashem bless you with continued successes in all you do, both personally and communally. May this year be a year of happiness, growth and Nachat to be enjoyed in good health and abundance of blessing!
Refuah Sheimah: Stephen Waczkiewicz (Shimon ben Sarah), Yossefa (Josie) "bat Sharon", Rafael ben Gladis e Esther Bracha "bat Sarah".
Continue praying for: Teddy Welz, Miriam (Mariana) "bat Zulay", Adina (Heidi) "bat Sarah" e Yosefa (Josie) "bat Sharon".
Terumah
Exodus 25:1 - 27:19
This week's Torah reading is an architect's or interior designer's dream portion. It begins with the Almighty commanding Moses to tell the Jewish people to donate the materials necessary for the construction of the Mishkan, the portable sanctuary.
The Torah continues with the details for constructing the Ark, the Table, the Menorah, the Tabernacle (the central area of worship containing the Ark, the Menorah, the Incense Altar, and the Table), the Beams composing the walls of the Tabernacle, the Cloth partition (separating the Holy of Holies where the Ark rested from the remaining Sanctuary part of the Tabernacle), the Altar and the Enclosure for the Tabernacle (surrounding curtains forming a rectangle within which was approximately 15x larger than the Tabernacle).
The Torah states regarding the walls of the Tabernacle:
"The center crossbar shall go through the middle of the beams, from one end (of the Tabernacle) to the other" (Exodus 26:28).
What lesson for life can we learn from the crossbeam?
The center crossbar was made with wood that came from the trees that Avraham planted. These trees were planted by Avraham for the purpose of doing kindness for travelers -- to provide them with shade.
The center crossbar was placed right in the middle of the tabernacle to remind us that even when we are devoting ourselves to serving the Almighty, we should never forget to have compassion for our fellow men, who are created in the image of the Almighty.
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
"They shall make a Sanctuary for Me -- so that I may dwell amongst them" (Ex. 25:8).
This verse can also be translated as, "They shall make a Sanctuary for Me, and I will dwell within them" -- within each individual.
Every person should make himself into a Sanctuary wherein the Divine Presence can rest. How does one do that?
When Rabbi Mendel of Kotzk first came to Rabbi Simchah Bunim of P'shis'che, the latter asked, "Young man, where can one find G-d?' Rabbi Mendel answered, "G-d is everywhere." Not satisfied, Rabbi Simcha Bunim again asked, "Young man, where can one find G-d?" Rabbi Mendel answered, "His glory fills the entire universe." Still not satisfied, for a third time Rabbi Simcha Bunim asked, "Young man, where can one find God?"
Rabbi Mendel responded, "If my answers do not satisfy you, then please tell me." Rabbi Simcha Bunim replied:
"G-d can be found wherever one permits Him to enter." The Torah says that we must behave in a manner that does not cause G-d to turn away from us (Deuteronomy 23:15).
The Talmud says that G-d shuns a person who is vain and arrogant. "I cannot dwell together with him" (Talmud Bavli, Arachin 15b).
"I abide in exaltedness and holiness -- but am with the contrite and lowly of spirit" (Isaiah 57:15).
A recovered alcoholic said, "When I stopped drinking, I felt a terrible void within me. That was the space where G-d belonged. How foolish of me to have tried to fill that space with alcohol!" People who do not drink may try to fill that space with money, power, honor or any one of a variety of pleasures. We must make that space available so that G-d can enter it!
It's not enough that we do our best -- sometimes we have to do what's required. Remember that pressure makes diamonds! Change is mandatory for extraordinary results.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Tank
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Rabbi Tank is a professor at the American Jewish College, where he teaches classes on Talmud, Jewish History, and Contemporary Jewish Law. Rabbi Tank is dedicated to finding modern utility and meaning in ancient wisdom texts and is pleased to provide spiritual, cultural, social and educational programming to communities around the world.
Rabbi Tank was educated at Yeshivas in New York and Miami. He studied Biblical Archeology at Bar Ilan University and Jewish Studies at Harvard University. Rabbi Tank has a Bachelor degree in Business Administration and he is also graduated in International Economic Development from the University of Oxford.
Rabbi Tank is a Jewish Chaplain actively involved in peace negotiations and relief operations. Rabbi Tank is the director of international affairs at the World Jewish Confederation headquarters in New York and He is member of the White House National Religious Leaders , an Executive Office of the President of the United States in Washington, D.C.
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Sat, June 21 2025
25 Sivan 5785
Shalom ! שָׁלוֹם
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Havdalah : 9:21pm |
This week's Torah portion is Parshat Sh'lach
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